Jimmy Wynn was born on March 12, 1942 in Hamilton, Ohio, a medium-sized city just north of Cincinnati. He was a
dimininutive 5'9" and weighed 160 lbs, but excelled at baseball, playing shortstop at R.A. Taft High in Cincinnati.
After graduating, he briefly attended Central State College before being signed in 1962 by his hometown Reds. After
a Spring Training workout with the Reds, he was dispatched to play for their minor-league affiliate, Tampa, in the
Florida State League. Despite an impressive season with Tampa, Wynn was left unprotected in the 1962 Winter draft
and was snatched up by the Houston Colt .45s on November 26.

Wynn was not destined to toil in the minors for long. After an
excellent half-season with San Antonio in the Texas League, Wynn was called up to play for the Colts in mid-season.
Debuting on July 10, 1963, Wynn played over 20 games at shortstop before moving to the outfield. With his speed
and powerful arm, Wynn quickly adapted and finished his first half-season in the majors with 5 outfield assists,
just two short of the team lead. Unfortunately, Wynn struggled at the plate and began the 1964 with Oklahoma City
in the Pacific Coast League. Once again, a successful half-season in the minors was rewarded and Wynn finished
the 1964 season with the Colts and never again returned to the minors.

(c) Topps

The 1965 season represented a new beginning for the franchise, and also proved to be Jim Wynn's breakthrough
season in the majors. The Colts, re-christened as the Astros, moved into the Astrodome, a stadium that would come
to symbolize the franchise for decades. Entrenched as the team's everyday centerfielder, Wynn established himself
as THE star of the new team. Only 23 years old, every aspect of Wynn's game was on display that season. The right-handed slugger had
power: his 22 home runs and 73 RBI led the team. He had speed: his 43 stolen bases led the team and would be his
career high. He had the arm: his 13 outfield assists led the team and earned him a nickname that would stick
forever: "The Toy Cannon". And he had the batting discipline for which he would never receive adequate credit:
his 84 walks were second only to Joe Morgan and gave him a fat .371 on-base percentage. For his efforts, he was
named the team's Most Valuable Player at the end of the season.

In 1966, Wynn was on pace for an even better season. With a third of the season remaining, Wynn had already
hit 18 homers and driven in 62 runs, although his batting average had dropped from .275 to .256. But on August 1,
Wynn's season would end suddenly after a collision with the center-field fence in Philadelphia that would fracture
his left hand, wrist and elbow. The effects of the injury were not lasting, as Wynn rebounded in 1967 with a power
display that Houston fans would not be seen again for decades. On June 10, in front of his family and friends in
Cincinnati, Wynn hit the longest home run in the history of Crosley Field. His blast was a titanic shot that
cleared the 58-foot scoreboard in left-center field and bounced onto Interstate 75 outside the stadium. Just five
days later, Wynn would set a team record by hitting three home runs in a game against the Giants in the Astrodome.
One month later, he would make his first All-Star appearance, and his only as an Astro. As the season wound down
and the team slid further down the standings, excitement was still high because Wynn was in a heated race with
Hank Aaron for the home run title. With both players tied at 37 home runs entering the last few days of the
season, Aaron took the title with two late home runs. Nevertheless, Aaron would later comment that he considered
Wynn to be the champion because the Astro had to play half of his games in the cavernous Astrodome. At the end of
the season, Wynn was the team leader in home runs, RBIs and runs scored, but his disappointing .249 average would
cost him the team's MVP award, which went to Rusty Staub and his .333 batting average, another team record that
would last for decades.

(c) Houston Astros

Over the next three seasons, Wynn would continue to show an outstanding blend of power, speed, and defensive
prowess. Off the field, he was the well-liked, party-going sort of personality that helped glue the team together.
His friendship with Joe Morgan was discussed extensively in Morgan's book, "A Life in Baseball", which is a
must-read for fans interested in the early years of the franchise. In 1969, Wynn tied the NL mark with 148 walks,
which would stand until Mark McGwire's epic 1998 season. On July 30, 1969, Wynn and teammate Denis Menke would both
hit grand slams in the same inning, setting a mark that would be untouched until Fernando Tatis duplicated it
single-handedly thirty years later. On April 12, 1970, Wynn would become the first player to ever hit a home run
into the upper deck of the Astrodome, launching a Phil Niekro offering down the left-field line. The seat containing
the impact crater was later re-upholstered with the image of a cannon to commemorate the home run. When the
Astrodome was renovated in the late Eighties, the seat was given to Wynn, who still keeps it in his living room.

Wynn's role with the team would change on July 8, 1970. On that date, he would be displaced in center field by
19-year-old phenom Cesar Cedeno. Wynn finished the season with fine numbers, but soon faced unexpected
adversity in the off-season. On December 21, Wynn was injured in a near-fatal stabbing during a domestic dispute and required
emergency abdominal surgery. Although physically healed by the following Opening Day, it is clear that Wynn was
not ready to return to playing full-time. Wynn struggled through the worst season of his entire professional
career, batting only .203 with 7 home runs over the season. Wynn returned to form in 1972, hitting .273 with 24
homers and 90 RBI. But after struggling with a .220 average in 1973, the 31-year-old Wynn was shipped to Los
Angeles in the off-season for pitcher Claude Osteen.

In Los Angeles, Wynn became an instant hit. His season started under the media scrutiny of Hank Aaron's chase
for home run #715, and Wynn was playing center field when that historic blast was launched off of Al Downing.
After a hot start, Wynn was named to the All-Star team and led the team to the 1974 World Series.
Unfortunately, he injured his arm late in the season and was never the same. Although he made All-Star team
again in 1975, Wynn's injury affected his defense as his once-powerful arm became a liability in the outfield.
His hitting suffered as well, and 1977 became was his last season of major-league ball.

Wynn: Will Cooperstown realize its error?

Jim Wynn belongs in the Hall of Fame. I have believed this for quite a while, and have not seen a compelling
argument to convince me otherwise. The centerfielders in the HOF can be roughly divided into three categories:
the elites, the very good, and the marginal picks. Here are the players in those categories,
listed with the following stats: games played, batting average, on-base pct, slugging pct, and Total Player
Rating by Total Baseball, which adjusts for era and park effects.

One interesting thing I noticed about these lists is that, with the exception of Duke Snider, the
Hall of Fame center fielders were either inducted right away or had to wait for an induction by the
Veteran's Committee. Perhaps this is typical for other positions, but I expected to see more
players inducted in their later years of standard eligibility. Regardless, it is clear that the
Veteran's Committee is responsible for watering down the standards for the Hall.

But the HOF voters can be finicky. Here are the better centerfielders left out of the Hall, with
the maximum number of HOF votes they received in any year:

If you are a true orange-blooded Astros fan, then you should be bristling right about now. For not
only do Astros represent the two highest-rated "left outs", there is no one else even close. If there
is any bias in this list, it is that the TPR stat does compensate for park effects. Since Wynn and
Cedeno both played a majority of their careers in one of the most extreme pitchers' parks in the
history of the game, their TPR is adjusted upwards to compensate. By the same token, hitters in
Coors Field and Enron Field will suffer a negative adjustment to their TPR. Combining the "left-outs'
list with the Hall of Famers ranks Wynn as the 7th-best center fielder of all time among retired
players.

One key gripe about Wynn is his low batting average. But when making this argument, Wynn's critics
always neglect to mention that his ability to draw walks more than compensated for his low batting
average. Without even considering the effects of the Astrodome, Wynn's OBP is better than three of
the eight "Very Good" HOF'ers, and his slugging pct is better than four. That doesn't make Wynn an
elite member of the "Very Good" HOF'ers, but it certainly places him just under the midpoint. And
when you consider that his offensive numbers were depressed by his home park and that his career
ended early because of an arm injury, his case becomes stronger.

In a recent column, "Deshaies gets his due", I briefly suggested that I thought Jim Wynn was more
qualified for the Hall of Fame than the newly-inducted Kirby Puckett. Without resorting to TPR and
park effects, here is a comparison of the two center-fielders:

For all of the consideration given to Puckett's career-ending glaucoma, Wynn's career was ended just as
abruptly by his arm injury in Los Angeles. With a roughly equivalent amount of playing time, Wynn showed
more power, more speed, and was most certainly a better defensive player. Puckett had a huge, 68-point edge
in batting average, but that edge completely evaporated when their strike-zone judgement is considered:
Wynn had the superior on-base percentage. In the end, Puckett garners a slight edge because of his superior
slugging percentage, but that is the area where players are most negatively impacted by the Astrodome. Once those
effects are properly considered, Wynn easily ranks in the top 10 among all-time center fielders.

Emotions among baseball fans are often strongest when the Hall of Fame criteria are discussed. And when
emotions run strong, opinions are rarely changed. If you started reading this with the preconception that
Wynn is undeserving of the Hall of Fame then I understand that, in all probability, your opinion remains
unchanged. At a minimum, however, is the hope that Wynn's case of the Hall of Fame is now seen as supportable
by facts and not merely the blatant orange-blooded fanaticism that is part of this particular fan.

Time diminishes Wynn's accomplishments

I would like to suggest a brief thought experiment for long-time Astros fans. Think about the
team's assorted sluggers throughout the history of the franchise, especially the one's noted for
their power. Think about the home-run hitters that stood out above their teammates and were feared
across the league for their power. In the Nineties, Jeff Bagwell springs immediately to mind, as
might Moises Alou and Richard Hidalgo. Some might put Eric Anthony on this list, although he fizzled
out rather quickly. Derek Bell and Craig Biggio do not, although perhaps Ken Caminiti would if he had
not been traded to San Diego. Going back to the Eighties, the only true slugger the team had was Glenn
Davis, also known as the "Big Bopper". The Seventies gave us plenty of home-run hitters: Lee May,
Cesar Cedeno, Doug Rader and Cliff Johnson. Their home-run totals would pale in comparison to today's
inflated statistics, but in their time they were certainly feared for their ability to hit the ball
out of the park in any given at-bat. And finally, the premier slugger for the Sixties was Jim Wynn, who
in 1967 came closer to winning a home-run title than any other Astro in history.

(c) Houston Astros

In 1999, the Nineties and the Sixties came together for a rare photo opporunity (right). The occasion
being commemorated was the official "crowning" of Jeff Bagwell as the new all-time home run king for the
franchise. Bagwell now has 310 career home runs, well ahead of the 223 homers that Wynn hit for the team.
When Bagwell passed Wynn, he did it in grand style: hitting three home runs in a game for the second time
in his career. Of course, little mention was given to the notion that Bagwell had seemingly benefitted
from conditions that made it much easier to hit his home runs. And mentioning this would have been both
inappropriate and a no-win situation. Bagwell is truly a great hitter and had earned the additional moment
of glory, and it was also nice to see Wynn step onto the Astroturf again, if only to honor Bagwell. But
the contrast between the eras of the two players should provoke discussion about how to evaluate players
in the current era while not diminishing the accomplishment of players of the past.

Here are two lists, the Top 10 single-season leaders for home runs for the Astros, and the Top 10
career leaders for home runs per 150 games played.

What sticks out like a sore thumb in these lists is the complete dominance by modern players. Jim Wynn's single-season record of
37 home runs lasted 27 years, but has been broken six times since 1994. In the second list, five of the ten players
are modern players, and it's only going to get worse as Moises Alou (35.8) and Lance Berkman (25.3) move into the
list when they reach 300 games played for club. Of course, most old-timers would scoff at the notion that Derek
Bell and Sean Berry were better power hitters than Cesar Cedeno, or even that Richard Hidalgo could go deep like
Jim Wynn.

What's missing in these lists is that the hitters are not being placed within the context of the times they
played in. Wynn and Cedeno never had the opportunity to play in Enron Field, to take advantage of a smaller strike
zone, or even to participate in an off-season training regimen. Players during Wynn's era actually had to work in
the off-season for extra money. For whatever reason, home runs before the Nineties were far less frequent than they
are today. For example, when Wynn set the club HR record at 37, there were 1.37 home runs hit per game in the
National League. In 2000, when both Bagwell and Hidalgo exceeded Wynn's mark, there were 2.32 home runs hit per
game. That's almost a 70% increase in frequency over 1967, not even considering the advantages gained by playing in
Enron Field. So while Hidalgo and Bagwell may have hit more home runs, Wynn was the player in a tight race with Hank
Aaron for the home run title.

To put the accomplishments of these players within the context of their contemporaries, we need to
compensate for the changing offensive levels across the seasons involved. While this might sound like a
difficult task, it is a feature easily accessed within the ASS 2001 program by simply clicking the
"Normalize for era" check box on any of the Astros reports. Doing this will re-adjust statistics based
on an "average" year from 1962 to 2000. So players in the Nineties will have their power numbers adjusted
downwards, and players in the Sixties will see the opposite effect.

After compensating for era, here is how the two previous lists now look:

Wow! Now there is definitely more balance in the lists. Bagwell still owns three of the top 10 spots
in the single-season totals but places no higher than #5. But this makes sense when you realize that
Bagwell has never really contended for a home-run title except in 1994, when his season was coincidentally
ended prematurely by a broken hand and a players' strike. You can also see the extent to which Bagwell's
and Hidalgo's home-run totals in 2000 were severely deflated. Although their 47 and 44 homers rank #1 and
#2 on the "raw" all-time list, after adjusting for differences in era only Bagwell's 47 homers barely
crack the Top 10. And, true to his legend, Jim Wynn still holds the top two spots for most adjusted home
runs in a single season. Also, Wynn and Bagwell are coincidentally neck-and-neck in the number of adjusted
home runs per 150 games.

On the career list, both Sean Berry and Derek Bell have been sensibly knocked off in favor of Cesar
Cedeno and Bob Watson. As one fan who has seen all four of those players hit, those changes make a lot of
sense. While Moises Alou (25.8) is still only 15 games away from springing into the middle of the list,
Lance Berkman's era-adjusted total (17.2) will not be high enough to make the Top 10 after Alou is in.

So what's the point of this? Is it merely a calculator exercise designed to impugn the accomplishments
of our current players while pining for a return to the "good old days"? I think not. Rather, I think it
is important to recognize the fundamental changes which have since 1993 dramatically altered the balance
between pitching and hitting. While we can argue over the causes of these changes, we cannot rationally
dispute that the changes have actually occurred.

After all, nobody except stat geeks really cared about "park effects" until Colorado joined the league
and their mediocre players started hitting like Triple Crown winners -- at home. Now anyone knowledgeable
about the game knows to make adjustments when evaluating the performances of Colorado players. That is
because the differences between Coors Field and every other park are so obvious that they cannot be ignored.
Enron Field is also developing a similar reputation. Until last season, there has never been a time when
writers routinely suggested that the power numbers of Astros should be adjusted DOWNWARD because of their
park. Sometimes, I don't know whether to laugh or cry about that.

So just as we now consider the effects of parks when comparing players on different teams, the offensive
explosion of the current era forces us to consider the changing conditions in baseball across time when we
compare current players to the old-timers. And when we consider Hall of Fame inductions or the breaking of
career records, those are the comparisons that we are making. For the old-time Astros hitters like Jim
Wynn, this is especially important because they were doubly burdened with the misfortune of playing during
a pitchers' era in an extreme pitchers' park.

Awards and Honors

1962 - named Topps Player of the Month
1965 - Houston Astro Most Valuable Player
1967 - named to National League All-Star team
1974 - named to National League All-Star team
1975 - named to National League All-Star team

#61 - 1962 first season in pro ball... led Florida State League in home runs (14) and runs-batted-in (81)...
selected to all-star team... named as "Topps Player of Month" during 1962 season... played third base at
Tampa but was shortstop and first baseman in high school... attended R.A. Taft high in Cincinnati... was in
Spring Training with Cincinnati 1962.

#24 - Voted club's most valuable player in 1965 by Houston area sports writers... Set club season records for
doubles (30), extra base hits (59), total bases (265), stolen bases (43), slugging average (.470) and most home
runs on the road (15)... also lead '65 club in homers, RBIs and batting average... also made some of the club's
best defensive plays in his first full season in the majors.

#24 - Was injured seriously August 1, 1966 in Philadelphia and missed the rest of 1966 season... his 18 home
runs last year made him the Houston all-time leader with 49... one of club's best defensive players... was second
in National League in double plays by outfielders in 1966.

#24 - Had outstanding year, breaking nine major club batting marks for one season, plus many others... singled
in his only time at bat in the All-Star game... leads club in career homers with 86... hit three homers in one
game against Giants in the Astrodome... works for Schlitz beer distributor in Houston during off-season.

#24 - Led 1968 Astros in homers (26), total bases (257), runs (85) and walks (90)... runner-up in total hits
(146) and triples (5), tied for second in doubles (23)... hiked his batting average 20 points to .269... had
team's longest 1968 hitting streak (16 games)... set all-time club outfield records for most assists (20) and
most double plays (8)... has 112 career home runs to lead Houston... was radio sportscaster during the off
season... nicknamed "The Toy Cannon".

#24 - Figured prominently in Houston's record-setting in 1969... he and Menke combined to tie major league
mark of two grand slams in one inning (July 30)... he set a National League mark, walking in 11 consecutive
games, and tied the NL season mark of 148 bases on balls... set Houston records for runs (113), slugging
percentage (.507), most single season homers in the Astrodome (16)... has hit 96 homers the last three seasons...
hit .269 for the second straight year, but appreciably increased his total of RBI's (by 20)... now has 145
major league career homers... radio sportscaster during the off season...

#24 - Continued to be one of Houston's top offensive guns, ranking 1-2 in virtually all departments... produced
27 homers and batted in 88 runs... over the past four seasons, has hit 123 homers and had driven in 349 runs...
upped his 1970 average to .282, his major league high... he's closing in on his 1,000th hit (needs 45 more)...
holds all-time Houston lead in most major batting categories... in 1970, was especially productive against
Pirates (.389, 12 RBI), Padres (.354, 17 RBI), Cubs (.351, nine RBI)... had 21 RBI in May... employed as radio
sportscaster in the off season.

#24 - Set club record for most runs scored in a single season with 117 in 1972... Scored in 89 of the 145
games he played in last season... Scored at least once in 11 consecutive games last season (June 12 through
June 23)... Holds numerous club single season achievement records such as most homers (37 in 1967), most runs
batted in (107 in 1967) and highest slugging percentage (.507 in 1969)... Led Astros in walks with 103 in 1972...
Had 90 runs batted in which was best since 107 in 1967.